The main objective of the research is to raise the awareness of potential customers to the benefits to be obtained from broadband communications. This is being approached through the provision of an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) test bed, which has a capability for interconnection with other broadband islands.
Key issues in the research are:
integrated broadband communications (IBC) network prototype integration;
the provision of a supported ATM test infrastructure;
the interoperability between broadband platforms covering wide geographical areas;
the verification of IBC system specifications and interfaces;
the interconnection of ATM networks to existing networks and transmission systems;
traffic experiments, under controlled conditions and using real sources.
As a result of the research, the external interfaces for all the interconnection equipment in the project (2 Mbit/s and 140 Mbit/s mappers, narrowband (N-ISDN) and frame relay interworking units) are available. Collaborative agreements have been established for the demonstration of pilot broadband applications, terminal equipment, management systems and new interworking capabilities (eg H261, UMTS). Influential contributions have been made to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in the areas of frame relaying, broadband integrated services digital network (B-ISDN) interworking, the mapping of ATM cells into existing plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH) transmission systems, signalling, and the so-called 'VBS' interface. The first European demonstration of ATM over satellite was made within this project.